Puget Sound & Pacific opertions.

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Rayonier

New Member
I recently moved from Bellingham to Olympia (well closer to Shelton really). Anyway, I'm curious as to what the rough operating schedule of the PSAP is.
 
Well I can help a little on the Shelton part. They usually start switching around Shelton (Simpson and OPP) around 6AM or earlier with the DGNO and the CEFX units. The road train comes into town whenever it feels like. I think they come in at night then another crew takes over and starts messing around a little after 7AM or so but I have seen them later. Lately they are running with 2 Cal Northern GP15's and a ex FEC GP40. Sometimes they head up to Bremerton sometimes not. I saw them couple up to all the cars and head west around noon day before yesterday. I would safely say it is a crap shoot but early would be the best. If all else fails Simpson gets out of town about the same time or earlier. I would say week days mostly but Simpson runs most Saturdays early.

Once a week the UP garbage train comes through they worked today (7/25) they had 1 AC4400 and 2 SD70m's. they run straight from Centralia to the garbage re load at Gorst and back.

I can offer no help on the Harbor runs. They seem to run weekdays mostly last time I saw.

Scott O'Dell
Shelton resident
 
The road train comes into town whenever it feels like. I think they come in at night then another crew takes over and starts messing around a little after 7AM or so but I have seen them later. Lately they are running with 2 Cal Northern GP15's and a ex FEC GP40. Sometimes they head up to Bremerton sometimes not. I saw them couple up to all the cars and head west around noon day before yesterday. I would safely say it is a crap shoot but early would be the best. If all else fails Simpson gets out of town about the same time or earlier. I would say week days mostly but Simpson runs most Saturdays early.

i know i am not the orig poster, but i am interested too...thanks for the info! for clarification, "simpson" and "road train" are different trains? where exactly do they go? the road train "comes into town"...from where? centralia? which train goes to hoquiam? does it come out of shelton, or centralia? would love more detail on these psap operations...thanks.
 
Simpson timber has their own trains that run to the dry sort on their own line they use SW type engines. The PSAP road train ( my name I am not sure what they call it anymore used to be Bangor Turn) runs from PSAP's yard at Lakeside (Blakesllee Jct) to Shelton and Bangor/Gorst. They bring in empties and take back loads for interchange with UP and BNSF.The Hoquiam train used to run out of Elma but that was when all the trains ran from Elma now it looks like they run from Lakeside but I am not sure on that one. I have not done anything with the harbor( Aberdeen and Hoquiam) for a while. If you have a scanner put in 161.475 you can try 160.935 but I have never heard anything on that one. It seems like they have pretty week radios as you need to be pretty close to hear them.

Scott O'Dell
 
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Here are 2 pics from back in the day #1 is Simpson at the Dry Sort in Dayton and #2 is the old days on the PSAP at Shelton
 
The best place to be if chasing the "PeeSap" seems to be Elma, where the line branches North to Shelton/Bremerton and also to the Coast. Aberdeen is a neat place to chase if you can catch a train there.
As for schedules, I live very close to the PS&P main and there doesn't seem any fixed schedule that I can tell.
 




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